Noteworthy + Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 20, 2017

How is everyone hanging in there this week? I know it can be stressful right before Christmas, but I hope you’re feeling excited and ready for the break spent celebrating with friends and family. Speaking of taking a break to enjoy Christmas, I’m taking all of next week off… I can’t even remember the last time I had an ENTIRE week off. Before I enjoy taking it easy, I wanted to leave you with a Noteworthy post filled with inspiration, life happenings, and some holiday cheer!

First off all, next week isn’t totally going to be 100% R&R. Emmett and I have a lot of work to do on our kitchen and definitely plan to make the most of our time off. I’m also working on a brand new reader survey for January that I’m hoping will help show me what type of content you want to see in the upcoming year (exciting)! I always feel so inspired and recharged at the beginning of a new year.

Aside from that, and wrapping up a couple client projects, we’re going to squeeze in our favorite holiday movies, mix up some festive drinks, and have our very first Christmas alone (just Emmett, the dogs, and I). Our family came to visit and just left yesterday… we celebrated Christmas with them a little early, but we’re excited to start our own traditions and are actually looking forward to spending quality time together. It’s something we haven’t been able to do these past few months because things have been so busy. I’ll talk more about my NYE goals and resolutions in a different post, but Christmas has me so thankful and eager to begin another wonderful year.

Emmett and I decided to spend under $50 on each other this year since we’re putting a lot of money into our kitchen reno, but I thought I’d share what I got him because these are fun ideas for any family member! I ended up getting him a few games. After our kitchen is complete and the rest of our home (eventually), we’re excited to get back to entertaining. We love having friends over and hosting. Emmett and I both enjoy playing games, so I thought these would be a fun gift that nods to another year of making memories in our home: game one / game two / game three

If you’re gathering with friends or family next week, you should grab one of these! They all look super fun and are sure to spark interesting conversation, or competitive play- or at the very least, break any awkward silence. Of course cocktails help too.

I have to address the intro image… talk about a CHRISTMAS FAIL. Between traveling, projects, and the kitchen reno, we had zero time to take a holiday photo this year. The past five years we’ve always sent out Christmas cards and I was so sad we didn’t get time to do it this year. I had to send a couple to grandparents (they’d never forgive me), so I took it way back and found a couple leftover holiday cards from three years ago. I literally printed out photos of Cash, cut them out, and taped them on. Ha! Whatever, they’ll get the point. I’m vowing to do better next year.

Did you see the amazing article my pal Lydia at Domino wrote after I won the blog award? I’m pretty sure I’ve never been more flattered in my life. I’m going to share details and recap the entire trip / insanely beautiful awards party once Domino shares the professional images with me . It was SO fun and I can’t wait to tell you all about it… after all- I have YOU to thank for winning.

Did you see the top 6 decor trends for 2018, according to Pinterest? I’m excited and pretty much embrace all of them, except #1. Art is always in style… that’s not a new thing in my book. I think they could’ve come up with something more creative instead of pointing out the obvious. Speaking of Pinterest, I’ve been focusing more on that social outlet and have been pinning A TON of inspiration lately. I can easily say I devote more time on Pinterest these days than any other social platform (even Instagram). Anyone else with me?

A few weeks ago, my hairdryer totally blew up and caught on fire. I polled Instagram to see what type of replacement I should buy and you guys definitely talked me into getting the Dyson Supersonic. I have to admit- I was super reluctant as I’ve never had a hair dryer that cost more than $30, but I’m really happy with it. It’s faster, lightweight, and I’ve never had a better at-home blowout. Was it totally out of the budget? Yep… but I’m calling it my Christmas gift to myself. After all, I’ve been a super fan of Dyson since purchasing my animal cordless vacuum cleaner six years ago. Two dogs and two houses later, that baby is still keeping my house clean and sucking up dog hair.

This article really resonated with me. In 2018, I’m going to continue working on loving myself- no matter my shape. Why we feel the need to comment and judge the outward appearance of others is beyond me. Here’s to a healthy and happy (physically & mentally) year!

Question for you guys… do I need to buy an Instant Pot? I know nothing about them, but I’m trying to figure out how to prepare food without a functioning kitchen (most likely in the guest room). Or maybe a pre-made meal subscription service would be a good alternative? I’m open to suggestions! We’ll be totally out of commission in the kitchen for at least a few weeks- as in, no sink, oven, etc. Right now we only have a fridge and microwave… and the fridge is going away later this week.

I’ll leave you with this article titled, “How to Have a Stress Free Holiday” before I check out for my week long Christmas vacay (aka- time spent offline working on our kitchen). I hope you all have a very happy holiday! I’ll be back here with a brand new post on the New Years Day. I’m so looking forward to sharing lots of inspiration, renovations, projects, and life with you in the coming year. I can’t thank you enough for following along and offering your encouragement. Merry Christmas friends! xox

kim

December 20, 2017 at 9:47 am

I LOVE my Instant Pot! I don’t think I could live without it now. I have the DUO-60 and use it almost every day. I like it because the stainless steel interior is so easy to clean, it doesn’t heat up my house, and my food is ready quickly. I cook soup, beans, chili, meatloaf, salmon, potatoes, sweet potatoes, veggies, and even a bread pudding in it. If you order one, I highly recommend Jill Nussinow’s book “Vegan Under Pressure” even if you aren’t vegan, if only for the helpful cooking time charts. PS: I love your Christmas card but wondered if your black dog was really that huge, lol!

Ardith

December 20, 2017 at 11:38 pm

LOL about your getting Emmett games for Christmas. I did exactly that myself for Mr. K. I got them all on Amazon, really went retro: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em, Mouse Trap, crazy eights, travel Monopoly, a tiny pinball machine, a handheld pinball player, and a few others I don’t remember at the moment. I hope he loves them as much as I’m looking forward to playing them. And we are also going low key, just the two of us, for Christmas as well.

Can’t wait to see how you celebrated your very well deserved blog award. Can’t wait to see what you have up your talented sleeve for next year.

Have a lovely time off with Emmett and Merry Christmas. Cheers and xo, Ardith

I love that I’m not the only one who gifts their husband games just because I want to play them too. Hahah!!! Enjoy your Christmas with just the two of you. I think it’s super special. Happy Holidays, Ardith! Thanks for following along this year :) xox

Those mid century ginger bread houses are amazing!! Cash looked so cute on the card, not a fail at all. Hope you enjoy your week off & find a little time to relax. The domino article was so good, you deserve it my dear!

About Me

Designer & Blogger

Hi there! I'm Sarah, creator of this blog. Expect to find inspiration and original content related to: interiors & styling, renovating, DIY, and home improvement projects! My husband Emmett and I are currently renovating our second house in Salt Lake City, Utah. Follow along and say hi!

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